Valve.



Patented lune 25, l90l.`

F. GRINNELL.

vALvE.

(Application .81nd Dec* 17, 1897.)

(l0 Undef.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK GRINNELL, F NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VALVE.

SEECFIGATIO N forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,078, dated J' une 25, 1901.

Application filed December 17, 189 7. Serial No. 662,338. (No model.)

'T0 AZZ whom, it potty concern-.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK GRINNELL, of New Bedford, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves; and

I do hereby declare the following specilication, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same', to be a full, clear, and exact description io thereof.

The invention relates to that class of valves in which a liquid, usually water, under pressure is held in check by a valve which is held to its seat by the action of a less pressure and is released and forced from its seat by the action of the liquid when said light pressure is reduced. Such valves are especially useful in connection with automatic sprinkler systems in which thewater is held 2o in check by a valve held to its seat by the action of a light air-pressure in the system, and the present invention is especially de: signed for use in connection with such systems, although its use is not confined thereto.

Valves of the above class are usually provided with a movable member, which is subjected upon one side to the light pressure in the system and upon the other side to a less pressure, usually about atmospheric, said `movable member being arranged to hold the valve closed by reason of its greater area or by reason of the connections between said member and the valve. When such a valve is opened by the reduction of the light pressure in the system, the system is filled with water and a column of water is formed above the movable member. Should the valve for any reason now return to its seat, the column of water above the movable member may be ofsufficient height to hold the valve to its seat and prevent any further iow of water to the system. A valve Ithus held to its seat is said to be columned. With this class of valves it is desirable, especially in connection with fire-extinguisher systems, where it is essential that the supply of water shall not be prematurely shut off vafter the valve has been opened by the opening of a sprinkler, to provide means for preventing columning. y

The object of the present invention is to provide simple and efficient means for preventing the colum ning of the valve, and this is accomplished by providing a passage from the supply to the supplemental or intermediate chamber, which is normally closed, but which is opened upon the reduc-tion of the pressure holding the valve to its seat and remains open even if the valve should close for any reason. Any suitable means may be em- 6o ployed for normally closing the passage between the supplyand the supplemental chamber which will operate or be operated to open said passage upon the reduction of the pressure holding the valve to its seat. It is preferred, however, to operate this means .by the action of the valve in opening, as with this construction there is no possibility that the passage will not be opened whenever the valve opens.

In the accompanying drawings one embodiment of the present invention in its preferred form is shown in connection with a valve similar to that shown in Figure l of my Patent No. 372,220, dated October 25, 1887; but itV will be understood that the invention may be used with equal advantagein connection with the various forms of valves shown in said patent or in other forms of valves wherein a liquid under pressure is held in check by a 8o valve which is held closed by the action of a less pressure.

The construction shown embodies certain features of invention set forth in the claims of an application of even date herewith, Serial No. 662,336.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. l is a sectional view showing the preferred form of the present invention applied to a differential valve, and Fig. 2 is a detail.

The valve-casing lis provided with flanges 2 and 3 for connecting said casing to a supply-pipe and delivery-pipe,respectively. The inlet 4 is provided with a valve-seat 5 for a valve 6. The valve 6 is formed on a dish- 95 shaped member 7, which is provided with a flexible ring S, arranged to seat upon the valve-seat 9. In this form of valve the member 7 and the wall of the casing 1 between the valve-seats 5 and 9 form an intermediate loo or supplemental chamber 10, and the space above the member 7 forms a light-pressure chamber 11, which is connected with the system through the outlet l2. The chamber 10 is preferably connected with the atmosphere through the usual drip-pipe 13; but the pressure in said chamber may, if desired, be either above or below atmospheric pressure, provided said pressure is less than the pressure in chamber 11. The walls of the movable member 7 between the chambers 10 and 1l are subjected to light pressure on one side and to a less pressure on the other side, and

the member 7 is connected to the main valve by being formed integral therewith. The valve-seat 9 is of such a diameter that the pressure upon the top of the member 7 exertedby the light pressure will be suicient to hold the valve 6 to its seat.

As thus far described the valve is of a wellknown construction in common use and is merely shown as an illustration of one of many forms of valves to which the invention may be applied. The means for preventing columning of the valve embodying the present invention will now be described.

A passage in the form shown, consisting of piping 14, leads from the casing 1 below the valveseat 5 to the chamber l0. This passage is normally closed by a spherical valve 15, which engages a valve-seat formed in the diaphragm 16 at the mouth of the passage. The

diaphragm is held in position by a ring 17,

which also carries a yoke 18. The valve 15 is provided with a valve-stem 19, which engages the yoke 1S and forms a strut for holding the valve to its seat.

An arm 2O is secured to the valve 6 and is arranged to engage the valve-stem 19; W'hen the pressure in the system and chamber l1 is reduced-by the opening of a sprinkler, for instance-the valve 6 opens under the action of the liquid below said valve, and the arm 2O forces the valve-stem 19 out of engagement with the yoke 1S and the valve drops away from the diaphragm 16, thus opening the passage between the supply and the chamber 10. Should the valve 6 now close for any reason, the column of water above the valve will not act to hold the valve to its seat against the pressure in the supply-pipe, for the reason that the pressure in chamber 10 is the same as the pressure in the supply-pipe after the valve has once opened. In other words, when the valve'has once opened it cannot become columned, for the reason that the differential feature no longer exists, owing to the open passage from the supply to the chamber 10, and the valve-ring'S will act as a mere check-valve to prevent ow of water from the system to the supply-pipe, but will not interfere with the flow of water from the supply to the system.

While it is preferred to open the passage from the supply to the supplemental or inintermediate chamber by the action of the which holds the main valve to its seat, whichA passage is not closed should the main valve close.

What l claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a valve, a lightpressure chamber, a supplemental chamber, a movable member between said chambers acting to hold said valve closed, va passage from the supply to the supplemental chamber, and means normally closing said passage and operating upon the reduction o .f pressure in the light-pressure chamber to. Open said passage.

2. The combination with a valve, a lightpressure chamber, a supplemental chamber, a movable member between said chambers acting to hold said valve closed, al passage from the supply to. said supplemental chami ber, means normally closing said passage,

and operated by the'movement of the valve in opening to open said passage.

3. The combination with a dierential valve, of a supplemental chamber closed by said valve, a passage from the supply to said chamber, means for norlnally closing said passage and operating to open said passage upon the reduction of the pressure holding said valve closed.

4. The combination with a differential valve, of a supplemental chamber closedthereby, a passage from the supply to said chamber, means normally closing said passage and operated by the movement of the valve in opening to open said passage.A

5. The combination with a valve, of alightpressure chamber a supplemental chamber, a movable member between said chambers for holding said valve closed by the action of the light pressure, a passage between the supply and supplemental chamber, a valve normally closing said passage and opened by the movement of the main valve in opening.

6. The combination with a differential valve, of a supplemental chamber closed thereby, a passage from the supply to said cham.- ber, a valve in said chamber normally closing said passage, and an arm on the main valve for engaging and releasing said latter valve.

FREDERCK GRINNELL.

Witnesses:

W. H. THURsToN, R. A. BATES.

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